What is Tinga?

April 19, 2018

Chicken Tinga, or tinga de pollo in Spanish, is a traditional dish originating from the state of Puebla, home of the battle that Cinco de Mayo commemorates.  Although recipes for Chicken Tinga can be found as early as the 1800s, the dish likely originated from indigenous cuisines of the area using staple ingredients of tomato, onion and chipotles.  But for me, the ingredient that makes this dish special are the Tomatillos.  They bring a refreshing tartness to the recipe.  These flavors are simmered slowly to create a savory dish of spiced shredded chicken great for filling tacos, topping tostadas or making gorditas. To honor this tradition, I have created a chicken tinga street taco filling and a jackfruit tinga taco filling. This dish is easy to create on your own, but even easier to order from us as part of our Cinco de Mayo Celebration Box (Celebration box available while supplies last).

 Recipe

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 Tomatillos
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• ½ White onion
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 3 Chipotles in adobo
• 1/2 Cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/8 tsp Mexican oregano (use plain oregano if you can’t find it in your local store or order it from us!)
• Salt to taste
• Dash of cumin
• 1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded (you can substitute two chicken breasts if you prefer to cook the chicken)

Steps

1. If you are cooking your own chicken, cover 2 chicken breasts with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
2. Roast the tomatoes in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Add the tomatillos to the mix halfway through the oven roasting time.
3. Roughly chop 1/2 white onion and peel 2 cloves of garlic
4. Cook the onion and whole garlic cloves in a splash of oil on medium heat until the onion begins to carmelize
5. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomatillos to a blender along with 3 chipotles in adobo (You can scrape out the veins and seeds of the chipotles to reduce the heat)
6. Pulse until blended
7. Simmer this sauce in a splash of oil on medium heat.
8. Add stock, oregano, cumin, and a pinch of salt to the sauce
9. Let sauce reduce for 5-10 minutes
10. Add shredded chicken and combine well with the sauce, bringing everything to a uniform temperature
11. Give a final taste before serving to adjust the salt and add more adobo sauce for heat, if desired

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